Past Featured Speaker Series
Summer 2008
Spring 2008
Fall 2007
Summer 2007
Spring 2007
Fall 2006
Panel Discussion
Come learn about the Gainesville community and the work of non-profit organizations
in town. Many first-year students get involved in community service early
in their college career. Panelists will be: Kent Vann, St.
Francis House, Nkwanda Jah, Cultural
Arts Coalition, Gwen Gadaire, Arbor
House, and Tony Jones, Reichert
House. The panel will be moderated by Jeanna Mastrodicasa, Assistant Vice
President of Student Affairs. Themes: Involement
in the community, active citizenship, and local issues.
David Sutton & Casey Schmidt
In the Spring of 2008 a semi truck ran over UF PhD student Casey Schmidt while
he was riding his bike to campus. Firefighter/Paramedic David Sutton arrived
on scene to find that Casey was still alive thanks to his bicycle helmet.
Hear from both Casey and David as they retell the details of the accident
as well as help provide basic safety tips that may one day save your life
too. Themes: Personal responsibility, safety, and
decision-making.
Jill Lingard
In 2006, 19-year UF advising veteran Jill Lingard dropped out of normal life
for five months and attempted a 2,175-mile thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail.
What do endless climbs of mountains, bear sightings, stinky fellow hikers,
floods, and freeze dried food have to do with university life? Quite a bit,
actually! Come hear Jill’s entertaining story of AT adventures and the meaning
they may hold for your own college journey. Themes:
Time management, making the most of your experience, and self-reflection.
Eric Flagg & Isaac Brown
Both UF Alums, they will share the film they wrote, directed and produced
called Gimme Green. The documentary is a humorous look at the American obsession
with the residential lawn and the effects it has on our environment, our wallets
and our outlook on life. From the limitless subdivisions of Florida to sod
farms in the arid southwest, Gimme
Green peers behind the curtain of the $40-billion industry that fuels
our nation's largest irrigated crop—the lawn. Themes: Common
Reading Program Book - When the Rivers Run Dry, global water crisis, and personal
responsibility.
February 6
Cartoonist Keith Knight
Knight is part of a new generation of talented young African-American artists who infuse their work with urgency, edge, humor, satire, politics and race. His art has appeared in various publications worldwide, including Salon.com, ESPN the Magazine, L.A. Weekly, MAD Magazine, the Funny Times and World War 3 Illustrated. Three of his comix were the basis of an award-winning live-action short film, Jetzt Kommt Ein Karton, in Germany. His comic art has appeared in museums and galleries from San Francisco (CA) to Angoulême (France).
Keith’s work has been collected in six books so far: four collections of his multi-panel strip, the K Chronicles, and two collections of single panel strips & (th)ink anthologies titled Red,White, Black & Blue and most recently Are We Feeling Safer Yet?. He also co-wrote and illustrated The Beginner’s Guide to Community-Based Art.
Read more at: http://www.kchronicles.com/.
March 24
Jean Kilbourne
Jean Kilbourne offers an in-depth analysis of how female bodies are depicted in advertising imagery and the devastating effects of that imagery on women's health. Addressing the relationship between these images and the obsession of girls and women with dieting and thinness, Slim Hopes offers a new way to think about life-threatening eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, and it provides a well-documented critical perspective on the social impact of advertising. Click here for flyer.
http://www.jeankilbourne.com.
April 16
Associate Professor Donna Cohen
Professor Cohen teaches in the School of Architecture at UF. Cohen will discuss her work on designing a sustainable home and cultural center for the orphanage, TunaHAKI, in Tanzania. Her team was chosen from more than 40 firms who applied through Architecture for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that seeks architectural solutions to humanitarian crises. This new home will provide hope for Tanzanian orphans as well as help support the local economy as the center will provide job opportunities for older children.
September 26
Elaine Pasqua
Co-sponsored with Panhellenic and IFC, Elaine Pasqua will present her lecture
“Sex in Excess: Surviving the Party.” Themes of alcohol use/abuse,
sexual assault, and sexual decision making will encourage the audience to
think about these issues in new ways.
October 10
Dr. Sally Karioth
Dr. Sally Karioth a nurse, teacher, writer, talk show hostess and nationally
renowned grief therapist, will present “Life is What You Make It –
Seize the Day!” The Goodman Speakers Bureau Inc. website remarks, “Some
public speakers make you laugh. Some speakers make you cry. Some speakers
make you look at life differently. Sally Karioth is a very special public
speaker, because she makes you do all three.”
October 16
Tracy Kidder
Tracy Kidder, author of Mountains Beyond Mountains, the text chosen
for the Common Reading Experience, will engage the audience in a conversation
about his interactions with Dr. Paul Farmer, the inspiration for this book.
November 6
Dedee DeLongpré
In collaboration with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Dedee DeLongpré, the director of the University of Florida's Office of Sustainability, will present "Common Sense for our Common Future". She has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Southern California with a concentration in entrepreneurial studies and a master's of business administration with an emphasis in sustainable management from the Presidio School of Management in San Francisco. She has experience in nonprofit management, primarily in the areas of education and the environment.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Joel Hartter
Joel Hartter a UF doctoral candidate in Geography will discuss the foundation
he started in Uganda to support libraries in rural Ugandan villages. Themes
of active citizenship and making a positive difference with your education
will be discussed. Please see: http://news.ufl.edu/2007/02/15/uganda-books/
for more information on Joel and his mission. For more information on his
Foundation for Children's Education in Uganda please visit: http://www.booksopentheworld.org.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Paul Doering
Paul Doering, a UF professor will present "Drugs of Abuse on College
Campuses: What's the Big Deal?" Students will have the opportunity to
identify physiological changes caused by drug use, discuss the primary and
secondary effects of drug usage, and identify why people use drugs. We will
discuss types and varieties of drugs used, social trends and perceptions of
drug use among college students.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Sgt. Stacy Ettel
Sgt. Stacy Ettel from the University Police Department will present an entertaining
and insightful discussion about choices people make when consuming alcohol.
Sgt. Ettel has been spreading his unique message to college students and other
organizations in the Southeast for the last 18 years.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
"Approaches to Empowering Haiti: Paul Farmer and Other Change Agents"
6:30-7:30pm, Reitz Union Rion Ballroom
Lecture given by: Benjamin Hebblethwaite, Lecturer in Haitian Creole at UF
Brought to you by the Common Reading Program
Spring 2007
February 6
Gainesville Issues Panel
This event is a panel about issues facing Alachua County as well as the importance
of active citizenship. Honorable Pegeen Hanrahan (The Gainesville Mayor),
Jeanna Mastrodicasa (City Commissioner) and Leah Zissimopulos (United Way)
will serve on the panel. A reception will follow.
February 22
Black History Month Speakers
In conjunction with the Black History Month Committee, the two fathers who
starred in the “Black.White” TV show on FX will share their experience
on the show. In addition, they will share their thoughts about race relations
and the continued discrimination that still exists today.
March 27
Dr. Lori Hart Ebert
In conjunction with Women's History Month and the Panhellenic Council and
Student Government Women's Affairs Cabinet, we present Dr. Lori Hart Ebert.
She will speak on issues of women's leadership and the college student experience.
April 4
Kate Bornstein
In conjunction with Pride Awareness Month we welcome Kate
Bornstein, a transgender author, playwright, and gender theorist. Kate’s
most famous work is titled Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us.
Fall 2006
September 14
Dr. Sherrie Nist
Dr. Nist is the author of the FYF textbook, College Success Strategies. Nist
is also the author of College Rules! She received both her master’s
and doctoral degrees from the University of Florida and is currently a Professor
and Director of the Division of Academic Enhancement at the University of
Georgia. Nist will engage the audience in a motivational presentation to prepare
students for their first year at UF.
September 27
Wendi Fox, Alcohol Insanity Tour
Wendi is a comedian who struggled with alcohol addiction and now travels to
campuses with an important message to send.
October 3
Karin Kratina
Karin Kratina, PhD, RD, LD/N is an author, speaker and nutrition therapist
who holds a masters degree in exercise physiology, a graduate certificate
in gender studies and a PhD in cognitive anthropology from UF. She has specialized
in the treatment of those with eating and weight issues since 1983 and currently
is the Nutrition Coordinator for the Eating Disorders Program at UF, has a
private practice in Gainesville, and is a consultant for Green Mountain at
Fox Run.. Her website is www.NourishingConnections.com.
November 14
Patti Ramey
Patti has been in higher education for over twelve years and will present
the amazing life of Mama D, one woman who used her full potential to help
and serve others.